✍️ Thank You, Camp NaNoWriMo!
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, where participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November every year. If you’re an aspiring writer, do check out https://nanowrimo.org/; they have everything you’ll need to get started - resources, pep talks, writing buddies, etc.
I came across NaNoWriMo back in college via Reddit. Codelympics used to host fun challenges to finish more side projects. They announced GaSiProMo (Galactic Side Project Month) in November 2015 where you had to start, and finish, a side project in 30 days. Going down the rabbit hole, I found NaNoWriMo, which was the inspiration for this challenge. I liked the overall concept but I wasn’t into writing at that time - in fact, I hated documentation and tried to minimize my writing to a minimum.
Fast forward to 2017, I decided to give it a shot. Camp NaNoWriMo was happening - it’s an easier version where you’re free to set your own goals. Now this was something I had a real chance of completing and without its existence, I prolly wouldn’t have dipped my feet in. I set a goal of 5k words but managed to write only 300 by the end of the month. I simply could not write / think more. Over the next 3 months, I devoured their resources section, including a couple of formal courses. November was approaching and I was now confident that I could do it. The goal was 50k words - I wrote 400.
I registered for NaNoWriMo in 2018 and 2019 as well but I failed miserably - in fact, I couldn’t start writing anything. I had a rough idea of a sci-fi story I wanted to pen down but it never materialized.
In April 2020, I thought of applying my learning process (specifically the MVG) and just focus on completing a short story, irrespective of the number of words. I gave myself a target of 10k words and ended up writing 4k words. It’s my longest piece of fiction so far and I’m proud of it! This win has now boosted my confidence to push myself further.
Well, 50k is still something far out of my league right now. I got overwhelmed just by writing 4k words. I started writing a story but it somehow turned into self-exploration. I think that’s the best part about writing.
You start out writing a story, but you end up discovering yourself.
I know it sounds cliched, but I’ve seen it first-hand. It brings out your deepest emotions. My MVG is still 10k words, which I’ll attempt next time (maybe in November this year, who knows?).
Pro Tip: If you’re participating, attend as many word sprints as possible. They help you overcome the writer’s block and move your story forward. I use https://twitter.com/NaNoWordSprints for prompts.
Until We Meet Again…
🖖 swap